Dennis Bermudez gets another chance to climb the featherweight ladder this weekend when he tangles with Jimy Hettes at UFC 171 in Dallas. The surging Bermudez has one of the more impressive winning streaks in the division as a decision victory at Fight for the Troops 3 this past November over Steven Siler marked his fifth consecutive triumph. He’s currently ranked no.12 and another victory against the dangerous submission specialist should see Bermudez entering the top-10.

Bermudez has proven himself a fan-friendly competitor with a pair of Fight of the Nights and a Submission of the Night bonus to his credit. He provides plenty of thrills with his exciting style and has proven comfortable in being involved in stand-and-trade battles such as his memorable war against MattGrice at UFC 157. Bermudez also has a strong wrestling background that he showcased in the recent victory over Siler. His only setback in the UFC was at the TUF 14 finale when he was submitted by Diego Brandao. Bermudez has stepped his game up since that setback by going on his current five bout win streak.

Hettes has carved out a reputation as an impressive closer with 10 submissions to his credit in eleven victories. He’s 3-1 inside the Octagon. His most recent effort was a submission victory at Fight Night 30 against Rob Whiteford. It was a strong bounce back effort for “The Kid” after suffering his first career loss to Marcus Brimage at UFC 152. Hettes has a strong judo background and tremendous jiu-jitsu skills as he has shown a wide array of submission techniques in his career so far. An opponent of Hettes must always be wary of potential chokes, armbars and heel hooks.

This is a very interesting matchup in the 145-pound ranks. Bermudez believes a couple more victories could have him knocking on the door of a title shot, while Hettes can definitely show he’s a major player in the division if he can derail the positive momentum that “The Menace” has been enjoying.